Time to Think

There are lots of things that go into being a great leader. There are all the standard, yet important components of being a great leader like listening to your team, developing people, the ability to make decisions, clear communication, building and sharing a vision, the list goes on and on. What you don't hear a lot about is how a leader can accomplish these things.

Being a great leader means making time to be a great leader. It means not filling every single second of every single day with meetings or tasks. Balancing the time to give your team what they need, and taking time for yourself to think will enhance your abilities as a leader. How much time do you make to really think?

Thinking time is critical to building your vision and innovating as a leader, but it can easily be pushed to the side for more tactical pursuits. Time contemplating gives you the ability to take what you've heard from your team and synthesize the information into actions and decisions. Thinking helps you understand the market landscape and to see the bigger picture, or "see the forest through the trees" as they say. While it seems as though you are making a trade off between crossing that meeting off your list, getting home to your family an hour earlier or and taking time to think, you can almost guarantee that time reserved to think will save you time in the long term.

When do you usually make time to think? How do you find time to think? Where is your favorite spot to focus your thoughts?

Working with a career coach can help you carve out time to focus on your refining your leadership. To learn more, go to www.katekibler.com

Keeping the boss's hours

I noticed a trend over my career. People tend to show up in the office when the most senior member of the leadership team arrives in the morning & depart when s/he leaves in the evening. If you are the boss in your area, take notice. Come in a half hour later for a month and watch the team get in later. Come in an hour earlier the following month and watch the trend of the team change. How come this happens?

There are a few reasons: First, hours are generally loosely defined in the fashion industry. It depends on the company and the corporate culture, but because people tend to work longer hours, start and stop times seem to vary. People take their boss's comings and goings as the official office hours.

Secondly, if there is a culture of getting ahead, people want to get there before their boss. It's an old, but often effective method of letting the boss think you are the hardest worker in the office- get there in the morning before your boss and leave after s/he leaves. If your work isn't up to snuff it doesn't matter how long you are in the office, but it can be an effective method for getting recognized with some executives. Others may not notice at all and you could be wasting what could be time away from the office with your family or friends.

Finally, most days in the fashion industry are very hectic. If you need to get time with your boss, the only availability may be before or after regular meeting hours. Use caution on this one however. Your boss may be staying late or coming in early to get their own work down and not appreciate you popping in off hours.

So, what's the point? Come in early, stay late, or set your own schedule? Know what that executive cares about. Know what you care about. If your goal is to get ahead and you know the executive values someone who puts in the hours, then go for it. If you are getting your job done and your boss isn't watching the clock, set your own schedule. More importantly, if you are that executive, pay attention to the team and set expectations. You may be having an effect you don't realize.

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Leadership

There are so many different types of leaders in the fashion industry. I have found that a leadership style often is formed from education, professional experience, but most of all through what leadership you have experienced early in your career. Whether you are a seasoned leader or new to managing a team, understanding how you are viewed as a leader is just as important as the results you deliver. Some teams will follow their leader because of respect, while others get work done because of fear. Some leaders lift the team up while others put the team down. Some leaders give energy to the team while others take away energy.

What do you want to be known for as a leader? How well does your team respect you? Which leadership style would allow you to build a high functioning team? Who do you respect most as a leader? What could you learn from that leader?

What type of employee are you?

Over my career, I’ve had all different types of employees. Some have been very independent while others need a great deal of attention to perform. While everyone needs direction, not everyone needs a detailed to do list. Understanding what your employee needs is key to both their and your success. On the flip side, you need to understand what kind of employee your boss wants you to be. What does s/he respond to- your independence or your attentive behavior?

I prefer a team that is more independent than not. I consider my leadership role as the conductor. I make sure the team all knows where we are going, following the traffic signals and remove any potential obstacles that get in their way.  What does that mean exactly? I can help an employee problem solve to a resolution they might not have considered. Or if a team member is taking longer than expected on a project because they don’t have all the information they need, I can make a couple calls to uncover the missing data.

Where do I draw the line? Interpersonal conflict. I am not a therapist, counselor or parent. I will not step in the middle of a conflict between teammates. Each employee is responsible for their own relationships. I once had an employee, Jack*, in a conflict with a coworker. He didn’t feel as though Sally* respected him. Jack asked me to “tell Sally to respect me.” I almost rolled my eyes. If you have gone to your boss and said something like this, I want you to think about how immature that sounds. This employee just told me he can’t earn a coworker’s respect and wasn’t up for trying to fix the problem on his own. Admitting you don’t have a great relationship is one thing, but wanting your boss to fix your problem is a whole other issue. What would I have responded better to? “I don’t think Sally respects me because she didn’t get me the project completed on time as I requested. I feel like I have tried several things to build the relationship, but nothing is working. What are your thoughts on how I can change the situation?” This is something that would have worked with me. I could brainstorm with the employee. Maybe share observations about his behavior that could be creating the problem. My goal would be to give him the tools to solve his problem on his own. Think about your boss, what message you are sharing and consider his/her response before having the conversation. On the flip side, I know many bosses who enjoy handling their team’s interpersonal problems.

How do you need to change your approach to match your boss’s preferences? What is your style? How do you communicate your style with your team?

*Names are changed to protect the privacy of employees

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com. 

Compromise or collaborate

I often hear people complain about compromises they have made. They find themselves in situations where think they have to compromise with someone in order to get something done. In some cases, it is true that compromising may be the only solution. Often however collaborating may lead to a better solution. Most people easily interchange the two words, but don’t be fooled. Compromise and collaborate are not synonyms.  

In a compromise, people give something up. There is a loss. In a compromise, each person negotiating starts from what they see as the optimal position and begins to give in until they meet somewhere in the middle. Neither party gets what they truly want.

Alternatively, in a collaboration each negotiator works together to arrive at a solution. In true collaborations, the pie (so to speak) can get bigger. Each party can get what they originally intended and maybe more. There is opportunity to look at the problem from various angles and think about solutions in a new way. Understanding each other’s goals will help you discover an optimal resolution.

When have you had the opportunity to ‘expand the pie’ through collaboration? How often do you compromise when collaboration may be an opportunity? Who collaborates really well? What can you do to lead through collaboration rather than compromise?

High performing team

Understanding what you are good at can help you excel in your role. Not only can you accentuate the positive, but you can hire and surround yourself with people who have different skills. It is easy when hiring to look for people you relate to… someone who shares your skills. In reality, you should be looking for a team to complement your skills. At first, this makes getting things done harder. Everyone on the team has a different point of view and as I mentioned, different skills. This usually means individuals will approach and work to solve problems differently. The good news: if you are patient, listen to all points of view and the team trusts each other, the outcome will be optimal as more solutions have been considered and reviewed. Once the team gets into a rhythm and develops this ‘muscle’, you have yourself a high performing team.

What do you do better than anyone else? What aren't you good at? Who do you know who does it really well? How can you respect other points of view? When do you listen to new ideas? What frustrates you about a diverse team?

Leading a team

Being a leader can be hard work. Not only are you supposed to get the functional job done, but you are also supposed to inspire and be an example to your team. What does that mean? How do you inspire a team?

First, set a clear vision and goals for the team and each individual member. What does the group want to accomplish as a team? How does the team define success? What does each team member want for their career? What does s/he want to achieve for the short term vs long term? How are the goals aligned with the corporation and each other? Discuss goals with the team.

Once your team has goals & you know what motivates each team member, stay focused. How can you make sure the team has the work life balance while moving them forward in their careers? What are the obstacles you can clear out of their way so they can succeed?

Aside from leading a team, many leaders are tasked with their ‘own’ workload. There is a downstream effect of prioritizing your workload vs that of your team. Sometimes it is hard to lose sight of your role as a leader. How can you set the right example as a leader while delivering results?

What kind of leader do you want to be? How do you ensure you are the leader you want to be? Who can help guide you as a leader? What are some ways you inspire your team?

Evolution versus Revolution

Frequently, when a company has a management change, the expectations on employees change… often overnight. I've experienced this several times in my career and it’s never pleasant. One minute you are at the top of your game, contributing, being productive, solving problems, answering questions and the next minute you feel like a failure. You have no idea what’s going on. What happened?

Not only does it take time to adjust to the new sheriff, but new expectations need to be outlined and made clear. Whether you are the new manager or the employee with a new manager, communication is the key. As a manager, what are the things that are important to you? Once you identify, how can you be open and share with the team? When you have a conversation or interaction that is or is not meeting your expectations, how can you use that example to guide your new team?

As an employee with a new manager, how have you identified what is important to the new manager? What does s/he value? How can you adjust your standards to meet the expectations of your new leader?

The transition period is never easy, but communication can help make the change an evolution versus a revolution. 

Welcome the new guy

I have worked at companies where new hires can be either feared or welcomed. When I started a role with… we’ll call it company X, there was fear. My role was not defined. People didn’t know what I was there to do. There was a perception that my new position would take away their power. Because of that, people withheld information. They showed up late to meetings if they showed up at all. The first three months of that job were incredibly stressful and unnecessarily difficult until I was able to break through and show my value to the team. We could have made more progress faster if I was welcomed. The fear didn’t help anyone. Intentionally being difficult takes more time and energy rather than just working together.

On the flip side, I started a job with my current company and was welcomed. Co-workers lined up to share information and partner on projects. Because of that, the company & my coworkers quickly benefited from the additional headcount. We moved major projects forward quickly and efficiently. It was a smooth transition and I was happy to go to work every day.

What is the value in fear? How does withholding information help you? Who do you want to be? How can you welcome a new employee? What benefits might there be from welcoming a new employee?

To learn more about career coach Kate Kibler, go to www.katekibler.com

Interview feedback

I recently interviewed someone for an open position I had. I’ll call this candidate “Susan” for the sake of the candidate’s privacy. Susan had a great background and had many of the skills I needed for the role I was trying to fill. I was excited to meet her in person. Once Susan came into the office, it quickly became apparent that Susan was one-dimensional in her career. She had worked for the same company for twenty years and didn’t have an opinion or skill set outside of that particular company’s methodology. I pushed her with several questions to think differently. Unfortunately, Susan seemed trapped in her old company’s paradigm. Susan had been laid off from that company over a year ago. She had nothing to fill the gap on her resume and continued down the only path she knew.

Although I didn’t hire Susan, I did provide Susan with feedback. How many other job opportunities had passed her by because she didn’t get that direct feedback? As a manager, or potential employer, how does it benefit you to not give feedback? How can feedback help both you and the candidate? What is your track record with difficult conversations?

For more information about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Managing versus leading

There is a fine balance that needs to be achieved in leadership between leading and doing.  I have heard many people call themselves leaders but are actually in fact managers. There is a huge difference between a leader and a manager. A manager directs a team and makes sure the work gets done. A leader engages the team, drives each teammate to be better while exhibiting the work ethic and values s/he would like to see in his/her team. A leader teaches, encourages and empowers while staying connected to the team.

Who do you want to be: manager or leader? How do you know which one you are? How can you improve your leadership? Where are the opportunities to change from a manager to a leader? Who can help you evolve to a leader? Who inspires you as a leader? 

Go to www.katekibler.com to learn more about career coach Kate Kibler

Listen to understand

Think about the last serious conversation you had with an employee. How much did you listen verses talk? How did you listen? Listening sounds easy, but it can actually be very challenging. Pure listening means you are both hearing and processing what the talker is saying. This can’t happen if you are thinking of a response, coming up with ideas, wondering how this applies to you or talking over someone. Most of the time people are not listening when someone else talks. The ‘listener’ is trying to solve the problem or think about what s/he will say next.

When I first heard this, I didn’t believe it. I thought I was a good listener, but I was wrong. Luckily, listening is a skill that can be taught. First, you have to realize what is holding you back from truly listening. For me, I was thinking of ways to solve the person’s problem. Secondly, you need to figure out a way to overcome your reason for not listening. My solve was to take notes on things that I could come back to later. Such a simple step significantly helped me to become a better listener.

What does listening mean to you? When have you had a conversation where someone actually listened to you? How did you feel? How can you be a better listener? What are some things you can do to improve your ability to listen?

For more information about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Delaying decisions

I once worked for the president of a company who never made decisions. You could go to this guy with an incredible amount of data, a clear point of view and a solid strategy. Still, he wouldn't make a decision. Eventually, he was ousted from the company. I have since recognized this as a pattern in many senior leaders. The slow decision making can be frustrating for an employee waiting to bring a project to conclusion. What is the cause of the slow decision making?

There can be many reasons a leader is delaying decision making. In my experience, a leader would like as much information possible to make sure they are making an informed choice. Often, time alone can help confirm the quality of data. Other times, that leader wants to gain support from corporate partners or clients before resolving the issue. I have also seen a leader delay moving a project forward because they do not want to be accountable for the outcome. Fear can be very powerful.

In the end, if you are waiting for a decision on a project you want to move forward, think about how you can help your leader. What is their hesitation on finalizing the decision? Where can you alleviate some remaining concerns around the project? How can you help them gain support from corporate partners or clients? How can you ‘manage up’?

If you want to learn more about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Size matters

I felt very successful as a young manager. I had a small team of one, then three, then five. I had a great deal of time to spend with my team giving them the tools they needed to be successful to move forward in their careers. For the most part, we were a happy, high performing team. I switched jobs and my next team was made up of eighty five people. It was a big jump, but I was a strong leader. I knew I could handle it. What was the difference between five and eighty five? It turns out there is a big difference.

It was impossible to give everyone the personal attention I gave to my previous teams and be involved in all of the daily tasks that went along with my previous roles. I quickly realized that one style of management does not work for everyone in your team. What could I do to still be a good leader with this large group? After a short period of floundering like a fish out of water, I decided to start listening. What did each person need from me to feel fulfilled, get their job done and build their skills? Some needed personal attention while others enjoyed autonomy.  Most needed me to help clear obstacles so they could move forward with their functional roles. Some needed encouragement and affirmation that they were on the right path with their leadership and job function. Others were concerned with career development.

The balance of my job had shifted. In prior roles I had spent about 35% of my time on leading and developing my team, 5% on clerical/ budget work and 60% of my time in my functional role. With this large team, 50% of my time was spent leading and developing my team, 20% on clerical and 30% on functional tasks and cross-departmental relationships. The shift in time from functional tasks to leadership was not easy until I realized my team was handling most of the functional tasks. They, and the company, didn't need me for that.  The team needed leadership. Most of all, they needed what they specifically asked for.

In the end I was able to become a successful leader for this large team, but it wasn't overnight. What can you do to prepare for a change in team size? How can you better understand expectations? How can you see when some people respond to your leadership while others shun it? How do you find the balance between team development and functional tasks?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com. 

Managing up

We have all heard the term 'manage up'. When I first heard it, I had no idea what it really meant. I thought it meant brown-nosing. Basically, I thought if you were 'managing up' you were 'kissing up'. In one annual review many years back, I had a boss tell me I needed to learn how to 'manage up'. I was perplexed. I got my job done, and done well. My peers, employees and even my boss' boss were very happy with me. What did she mean by 'manage up'? Rather than leave the review in the dark, I simply asked her what she meant. My boss wanted me to give her daily updates on what I have been doing, what issues I encountered, any news I heard about, and how I solved problems. Although I was doing my job, she felt out of the loop. That was an easy problem to solve once I knew more about what she wanted.

I have also seen the opposite problem though. I once had an employee that came to me with every small dilemma he encountered in a day. This wasn't an assistant or associate. This is someone who had been working for quite a while. I wanted him to 'manage up' by making his own decisions and solving his own problems. I would be there for the big stuff when he needed me. It turns out his previous boss wanted involvement in the minutia. Once we had the conversation about what my expectations were and how I trusted him, the behavior changed. He started to 'manage up'.

What does it mean to manage up with your boss? How can you be sure that you are managing up? What does your leader need or want from you? What conversations have you had with your leader surrounding expectations? How can you balance 'managing up' with getting your job done? How can 'managing up' improve your daily work life? Who can help you 'manage up'?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at www.katekibler.com.

Stop waiting

I recently had a client who was disappointed in her boss. We have all been there at one point or another. My client needed her boss to make a decision in order to move forward with a project. Her boss was not making that decision. My client was frustrated and angry. She wasn't sure how to make her boss realize the cost of delaying the project. During our coaching call, my client realized that her boss had other priorities and the decision wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Although this was a disappointing moment, my client soon understood that she could move the project forward in another way. She identified her boss' reason for delaying the project and brainstormed a solution to help both her and her boss. The project quickly moved forward after my client removed the obstacle she identified.

It happens all too frequently that we let something stand in the way of our progress. Maybe the budget was cut for the project you were working on, or you are not getting the support you need from a peer to complete your task for the day, or maybe you are even waiting for your boss to make a decision. What can you do to push closer towards your goals? How can you take back control of a lost cause? What are you waiting for?

Learn more about Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com

Building towards a vision

If you have ever worked for someone who is a visionary, you know how inspiring they can be. Unlike a strategy, a vision is meant to stimulate emotion. I actually picked up and moved my life across the country after a couple of meetings because I was drawn to the vision one person painted. What I didn't know at the time was that it was just a vision. Having a vision essential for building a brand and a business, but it's not enough on it's own. This is a common problem in the fashion industry. There are some very talented visionaries in the field, but very few with the skills and foresight to execute on a vision.

In my opinion a great strategy starts with a vision. Who do you want to be to your customers? What are people saying about your brand? What does it feel like? How are your customers shopping? Why did they choose your brand? How does your brand inspire its customers? These are some of the many intangible things you think of when creating a vision. Once you have a vision established, how can you build towards it? What is your strategy? What are the activities you create in order to construct your strategy? While I stated earlier that a great strategy starts with a great vision, a vision is nothing without a great strategy. A vision will never go anywhere unless you commit to it and build a strategy to support it.

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at www.katekibler.com.

Hiring Managers: Don't interview on auto pilot!

Our industry is intense, our schedules are packed and we are always juggling multiple priorities.  We do many things during the work day on auto pilot.  As a hiring manager when I had interviews squeezed into an already tight schedule I admit…I did some on auto pilot.  Racing into my office two minutes before the candidate, glancing at the resume and hoping it wouldn’t take the full 45 minutes because I had to get ready for a business review.

Here are some thoughts on how to get the most out of an interview.  First, realize this is a person who has taken time out of their life to explore an opportunity within your organization.  They are not a product to review and edit or adopt to the line.  If you have 45 minutes of your day scheduled to interview….then have the mind set to find out everything you possibly can about their capabilities in that 45 minutes. 

Clear your mind, desk and silence your email and phone.   This human being deserves your full attention and you will get more out of the dialog.  Some companies have a set list of interview questions for candidates.  This is great and creates consistency, however it is a good idea to review the resume and prepare some questions specific to their experience.   If they show 15% comps over last year in dresses ask them how they accomplished this, who did they collaborate with and what were the obstacles.

If they show career progression ask them about their promotions.   If there are moves between companies ask them to tell you why they moved from one brand to another.

Whatever the question, truly LISTEN to the answer.  Often we know what we want the candidate to say and if they start out differently we tune them out and move on in our own minds.  LISTEN with an open mind and they may end up surprising you.  Make sure you are not so focused on filtering for your brand that you miss someone who could make a significant contribution.  Create an interview environment where they can share their successes.

Treat candidates with warmth and respect.  If you want to attract top talent to your brand you have to have a stellar reputation.  This means treating candidates that you do not hire as well as those that you do.  Candidates talk about their experiences and you want them to say positive things. 

Have you conducted interviews on auto pilot?  Do you make up your mind before the interview is over?  What would candidates who have interviewed with you say about their experience? 

You can always see what opportunities we are interviewing candidates for at www.apparel-resource.com

Don't be a wimp

I used to be a wimp. As a young person, giving feedback on performance or interpersonal issues made me uncomfortable. If someone did something I didn't like, I would let it slide unless it was a big issue. As I matured, I became a little braver. The real turning point for me was a leadership development class I took. My boss at the time strongly believed in leadership development and sent all of her direct reports to this course. I wasn't so excited about a class like this. What could they teach me in a week that would change the way I think, work or lead?

I went to a week-long Leadership Development Program (LDP) at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro North Carolina. There were several modules to the program including giving and receiving feedback, coaching, gaining perspective, and more. The ones I mentioned are the ones that remain top of mind years later. For me, the most transformative session was the one regarding feedback. I learned how to give and receive feedback objectively and without emotion. This skill changed my career and the careers of those around me for the positive. Objective, constructive, honest feedback can transform a team or organization. Obviously people like positive feedback. What has surprised me is that people appreciate negative feedback as well. After seeing the effects for all of these years, I would not classify myself as a feedback-a-holic.

For more information on CCL’s programs, go to:http://www.ccl.org/Leadership/

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at: http://www.katekibler.com. 

Check your stress

What keeps you calm and focused? How could knowing that keep your career on track? There was one period in my career where I was stressed. It wasn’t regular stress, it was high stress. I did and didn’t recognize it. I knew I was in a stressful situation, but I didn’t know how much it was affecting me. It wasn’t until someone who worked for me pointed it out. She indicated I was not myself and had been overly critical. I was happy she was comfortable enough to tell me the truth. I needed to hear it from her.

When she gave me the feedback, I listened and accepted it. I thanked her and let her know she was right and I would correct it. I wasn’t able to change the stressful circumstances overnight, but I could change my own behavior. What did I need to stay calm and focused? Where did I feel the happiest? For me, the answer was easy. I find my peace in exercise; specifically running, swimming or yoga. I realized that my stressful situation was taking up so much of my time that I stopped exercising. I let the stress take over.

Although I had a lot to do during the work day, I became twice as productive and pleasant by carving out that hour to exercise; before work, after work, lunch time. It had to be a priority for me.

How can you keep yourself in balance? Who can be your trusted co-worker to tell you when you are not yourself? What activity keeps you focused and calm? How can you keep your stress in check?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com.